Mode of secubrktcr hubs to axles



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

LEONARD J. VVORDEN, OF UTIGA, NEW YORK.

MODE OF SECURING- HUBS TO AXLES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,247, dated May 5, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD J. WORDEN, of Utica, in the county of Oneidaand State of New York, have invented a new and useful Mode of SecuringCarriage-Wheels upon Their Axles; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompany drawings and to the letters of reference markedthereon.

The object which I have in view in this invention is to provide afastening at the front, or outer end of the skein in which the skein andnut may be cast of a simple form to fit each other, with as littlefitting up as possible.

A, (Figure 1,) is the skein, or pipe box. It is hollow to receive thewooden axle B, and is constructed in the ordinary form, with theexception of the front end; this of the character here shown, is castsolid with the pipe box.

The neck C, is partly cylindrical, and partly conical. It is cylindricalat the side 0, and the side opposite to this; and is conical at thesides E, E; these sides being nearly of a circular form. The front ofthis projecting neck presents the plane face F, and is tapped by thescrewhole G.

H, is a plane square shoulder, encircling the neck, and against whichthe nut A, (Fig. 2,) is to be screwed up to keep the wheel on. The faceof the nut which is to set next to this shoulder is also an even plane,and the orifice B, in the center, corresponds with the front G, of theprojecting neck, (Fig. 1). In order to tighten the nut by a slight turnafter slipping it over the neck, the sides E, of the neck are notprecisely circular, but a little eccentric, forming a cam on each side;by means of which-the interior of the nut being made of a correspondingshapethe nut is tightened by turning it about one fourth of a circle.The most prominent points of these cam surfaces on the axle, are at K,K. This compound character of the surfaces E, E, that is, being madetapering inward toward the shoulders H, and enlarging in the circle, inthe direction K, as the nut is turned on, not only tightens the nut uponthe cam surfaces of the neck, but also sets it up strong against theshoulder H; greatly increasing the friction and hold of the nut. Thesecam surfaces are of course to be made rights and lefts for the two sidesof the carriage; the

| direction of the enlargement of the surfaces E, being reversed for theopposite ends of the axles.

The nut A, (Fig. 2,) being screwed on as described, the outwardpresentation is as shown in Fig. 3. The thickness of the nutcorresponding to the length of the neck of the skein, the front is aneven plane, as seen in the figure. The nut and neck form a oint at a;and open cavities are left at the side b. To prevent the nut beingturned back and loosened in backing the carriagewhich might sometimeshappen, and to finish the front in a symmetrical manner, the cap L,(Fig. 4) is screwed on in front; the screws passing through the orificeN, into the tap G, (Fig. 3) in the end of the axle.

The projections O, 0, (Fig. 4) are cast upon the interior surface of thecap to fit the cavities b, b, (Fig. 3), and thus prevent the nut fromturning back or unfastening. This cap being screwed on, the externalappearance is then as shown in Fig. 5. Any desired externalconfiguration may be cast upon the cap and upon the nut to ornament thearticle. Various other obstructions to the retrograde movement of thenut may be placed in one or both of the cavities b, (Fig. 3) without theuse of the cap; as a wire, a screw, or a pin inserted through theprojecting edge of the nut into the cavity. Fig. 6, exhibits analternative mode of doing this without the cap, and is deemed apreferable mode of securing the nut from turning back in the case oflumber wagons, and vehicles of a coarse or common description.

M, is the head of a bolt passing through the front or the skein or pipebox, and into the wood of the axle, where it is turned into a nut, letinto the axle in the manner of a common joint bolt. This is a commondevice for fastening the pipe box to the axle.

G, is a guard partly raised from its bed; it is hinged on a pin at theend 6, and when let down into its place it locks the nut by closing intothe breach on the side of the neck of the journal, and thus prevents theturning back of the nut. This guard is always on the upper side of thestationary journal, and consequently will always keep its place.

Having thus described my invention, its advantages over the frontfastenings now in use will be apparent.

It will be seen that I dispense with the usual cutting of a screw threadon the end of the journal, and in the nut, and provide a form in whichboth these parts may be cast sufliciently perfect so as to need littleor no fitting up for use. Thus saving much labor and materially reducingthe cost of the article. While at the same time a superior fastening isproduced which is much more simple and convenient than those now in use.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- Makingon the front end of the skein or bush (A) a neck (C) of peculiar form;

that is to say, having two or more parts of 15 its periphery of acylindrical shape While the remaining parts are both cam shaped andconical, when used in connection with a nut (A) whose internal peripherycorresponds With the external periphery of the 20 neck (O), lock plate(L) or its equivalent the whole being arranged,- constructed andoperating in the manner and for the pur- I

